Ithaca College

John W. Rawlins III, Assistant Director for Multicultural Affairs in the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs, will be hitting the road with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis as apart of the 70-piece Chorale le Chateau, conducted by Damien Sneed, in a presentation of Marsalis' "Abyssinian Mass."

"Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration" Tour kicks off in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on October 3 and ends in Boston, Massachusetts on October 27 and will visit 16 cities along the way, including Dallas, TX, New Orleans, LA, JALC's famed Rose Theater in New York City, and John's hometown of Washington, DC. Since Marsalis composed and recorded In This House, On This Morning two decades ago, he has remained committed to projecting a theme of universal humanism — and raising a joyful noise — while reflecting the form of the African American church service. Never has Marsalis coalesced the codes of sacred and secular expression more successfully than with the 2008 extended work Abyssinian Mass, commissioned to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Abyssinian Baptist Church on West 138th Street in Harlem.

In addition to his work here at Ithaca College, John is a gospel music artist in his own right.  He is a songwriter, vocal producer, and has began directing gospel choirs over 20 years ago. He is one of the founding directors of Cornell University's Chosen Generation Gospel Choir, former director and current advisor to Ithaca College's Amani Gospel Singers, and is the Director of Worship at Calvary Baptist Church here in Ithaca, NY. John will leave campus on Friday, Sept. 27 and return to Ithaca on Thursday, October 31.

For tour dates and locations, visit http://jalc.org/about/jlco/tour-dates.

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